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angela10angel

Attn Graduate School Survivors, PLEASE HELP!?

I am currently attending a UC (which I transferred into from a community college about a year ago). I am starting my senior year in the Fall and am planning on applying to a Cal State for my MA but I have only one person to write me a letter of recomendation! I need two! The problem is that all but two of the classes I have taken in my major have been taught by graduate students and they have all told me that they would have no problem writing me a letter but that it would not be likely to get me in because they are still just grad students themselves. One of the classes I took with an actual faculty member is out because it was a lower-division class. There is one other professor I am thinking about asking (I took one class with him before and am signed up for another in the Fall), but it Summer vacation right now and by the time the class starts I will need the stupid letter within a week! What do I do? Email him and pray he remembers me? What would/did you guys do?

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First, you will NOT need the letter so quickly. The letter simply must arrive prior to the application deadline, which is probably in December at the earliest. (Letters are usually not mailed with your application — they are sent directly by the professors, either by mail, or submitted online.)

A letter from a professor in a lower division class is also fine. (Who told you it wasn’t?)

And finally,` you really need to know that ALL of your letters need not be from professors who work in the field of your intended specialization.

For example, if you are in history, a letter from an English or Anthro or Religious Studies professor is great.

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neniaf
Your biggest problem is that you need the letter within a week, which is difficult at best and impossible at this time of year for most faculty. Actually, it is interesting that you bring this up, because I got into an argument with another university administrator last year when I wrote a letter for a student based upon her record, when I hadn’t had her personally in class, and this other administrator told me I had no business doing this. I reminded her that at larger schools, it is the norm that the faculty don’t know the students personally. I understand that the ideal situation is that the recommendations are from respected professors who know you well, but this isn’t always possible. So this is what I would suggest:

First of all, call the professor you had the class with before (or email him) and explain the problem. At the same time, I would go to the department chair and ask if s/he can write you a recommendation based upon your record (assuming your record is good). If the chair will do this, you might want to get a third letter from one of the grad students who does know you to back it up.

Frankly, for most masters’ programs, the letters are only back-up. Your grades and GRE scores will matter a lot more. As long as the reference letters aren’t actually negative, you won’t be damaged by the fact that these people don’t know you too well. It would be different for a Ph.D. program, and if you decide to go that route, make sure you line up your references far in advance. You shouldn’t have gotten down to the last week without having worked this out.h

3

Anonymous
Definitely email him and see what he says. Most faculty check their email pretty regularly over the summer. In fact. he might appreciate you approaching him about this now rather than waiting for the semester to begin when he’ll be a bit busier. You should explain your situation and offer to send him a portfolio of your work. If nothing else, I imagine he’ll feel guilty that you’ve had so little contact with faculty and write the letter for you.

My mother teaches at a huge state university and her students run into problems like this all the time. If she doesn’t know the student well, she will usually ask them to send her a CV and maybe a sample paper and she’ll write the letter from that her often vague recollections.

Good luck applying 🙂

2

Anonymous
These answers are great, so I’ll just add this. Applying for grad school I actually asked my boss. I worked in higher ed with Spanish students/clients and my grad program is bilingual counseling (I want to help kids but need an MS to make a bit more). So, my boss had some relevant info about me, and I was accepted. I think for the MA/ MS level, a grad student who taught but knows you well is fine. Try for the chair, and all the other suggestions, but ask for the grad student’s letter as well. That way at least something is on its way, even if you don’t need it. Usually, as long as it is someone relevant, it is fine. A grad student who taught you is better than nobody at all. Good luck!
1

Anonymous
I would remind the professor of a project that you worked on or at least what grade you got in the class. Hopefully, that should give him something to go on.

I needed 3 letters and my third was from a professor that I participated in a study with. I didn’t have a single class with this person but I signed up for his studies throughout the year so he was familiar with me.

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